A Thousand Years
by ANGiiEbaby
Summary: Many years in the future and things have changed. With no memory of each other, Andrew and Monica are set on an assignment together that will challenge them in more ways than one. Sequel to Forbidden Love. Sort-of established M/A pairing. Mostly rated T, definitely will change to M at some points. Lots of drama. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**A Thousand Years**

 _Sequel to Forbidden Love_

 _Rating: Mostly T, probably M at times_

 _ **Note** : As this is a sequel, it would be beneficial to read Forbidden Love first, if you haven't already - though please keep in mind that FL is long overdue for a harsh edit and possibly rewrite to correct inconsistencies and unanswered questions. I was little more than a child when originally writing that story and my style and abilities have matured quite a bit since. With that out of the way, I would just like to take this time to say that the original story, as well as this sequel, are not meant to follow the canon of the show. I do realize that it's out of character and would prefer not to get reviews or messages pointing that out. The beauty of fanfiction is that it's all up to personal interpretation and perspective. This is mine. I hope you enjoy the next part in this nutty tale of mine._

 ** _Chapter 1_**

* * *

"Over here!"

On the side of a winding, rural highway set against a vast mountain range stood a woman. Though well below average in stature, her frantically waving arms and vibrant red hair made her nearly impossible to miss. The ambulance, with a fire engine and several more emergency vehicles in its wake, pulled up and the people inside wasted no time disembarking and appraising the situation. Surrounding them was carnage, devastation, needless loss of human life. The small woman had to steel herself against the unmistakable scent of death that hung heavily in the frigid early-evening air.

"Three vehicles were involved," she said soberly, gesturing toward the site of the wreckage. "Everyone in the white sedan are conscious and seem to be relatively okay. The man in the red truck is pretty banged up, but also conscious. And the black SUV … I could only find a pulse on the man. I'm afraid the woman and four children also inside haven't survived," she offered the first responders, her soft Irish lilt almost lost among the roaring gusts of wind. The fire captain she was speaking to nodded solemnly and let his eyes take in the sight before him. Though almost always expected on days with bad weather like this, it never got any easier.

"Thank you, ma'am," he responded with the tip of his hat, "Are you a nurse or EMT or … something?"

"Something like that," she responded with a nod.

"Well, your help and call in probably saved the others here. None of them would have made it very long in this cold, especially not with injuries," he said with a heave of his chest. He looked around them and seemed to realize then that there were no other cars or means of transportation nearby. "You don't have a vehicle here?"

"I was just out for a run and was in the right place at the right time," she answered, a slight twinkle in her eye, "and I'll just be on my way again now that your team is here." She could see the confusion in the captain's eyes as they were quite literally in the middle of nowhere and, in addition to the below freezing temperature, darkness was approaching. But she didn't leave him with time to ask questions. With another tight smile and a nod, she turned on the spot and set off at a brisk walk in the direction of the quickly sinking sun.

After a few beats, she looked to her left and met the gaze of a man who wasn't visible to the others. He had fallen into step beside her as she had started away from the scene of the crash. She smiled softly at him, both as a greeting and as a gesture of sympathy. His grey eyes and gentle features were weighed down heavily by what had just transpired.

"Monica, the distance running angel? What is it … Search and Rescue now? Or should I say _again_?"

She grinned at her long-time friend.

"Adam, it's good to see you too. I only wish it was under better circumstances."

"Me too," he said with a shrug, returning her smile and reaching around her to give her a quick squeeze, "kids are tough but … I wish you could have seen their faces when we got there. They're the happiest they've ever been now."

Monica sighed heavily. Death was never easy, but it could be especially trying for the angels in charge of escort, particularly when they were children or victims of crimes or other unimaginable happenings. She certainly admired the Angels of Death she had the privilege of knowing and brushing shoulders with. She worked side by side with many of them quite often in Search and Rescue, as that was just the nature of the job. Sometimes she was called to rescue and sometimes she was called to comfort until it was time to go, as with the four children and their mother that afternoon. Monica definitely did not covet the job that Adam did so well. She knew better than to think she could ever do that job herself, though she recognized that it was one of the greatest honors an angel could have.

"So really? _Running_?" Adam questioned with a chuckle, ready to change the direction of the conversation to something a bit less grim, though the thought of engaging in human physical fitness activities wasn't exactly his own idea of pleasant things to do with one's down time.

"It clears my head after difficult assignments!" She countered, slapping his arm playfully. "And before them and during them sometimes. One of the last cases I ever worked on before transferring was a competitive runner and I guess I picked up the habit. She always talked about how great she felt after finishing a long run and said it was like her own little way of connecting with herself and righting the wrongs of the day or preparing herself for what was ahead. It sounded nice, so … I run."

She didn't say it aloud because she wasn't particularly proud of the reasoning, but she also enjoyed the pastime because it gave her the excuse she needed to spend most of her down time alone. It wasn't exactly that she didn't enjoy the company of other angels. Of course she did, but something about being on her own with only the sound of her feet hitting the pavement and her own breaths echoing in her ears felt better. She just preferred spending time on her own and didn't often seek out the company of others. She and Adam, for example, had been friends for as long as Monica could remember, but it had been more years than she knew since they had last crossed paths and she knew that it was mostly on her.

"Well, the rumour around the realm is that you hardly stop for anything or anyone anymore," Adam responded, not totally masking his friendly concern for her well-being. "I mean, come on … when was the last time you saw Tess or … anyone else?"

Monica had to think hard to find an answer for that one.

"It was around the time she was promoted I think, maybe just after. There was a party to celebrate her and I stopped by for a few minutes but ended up getting called away shortly after I arrived. I always meant to catch up with her after that, but …" She trailed off, getting caught up in the memory of her former supervisor and friend.

Adam wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Monica … Tess became an Angel's Angel like … _fifty years ago_. Maybe more. Are you saying that you've not seen Tess in all this time?" He asked her, not bothering to hide the shock that he felt. Adam had also heard rumours floating around that Monica purposely avoided friends from her caseworking years, but he hadn't believed them until that moment.

"I know," she answered, with a heavy tone to her normally light and airy voice, "I feel terribly about it but … it felt different seeing her then. I can't explain it but I just had a strange feeling about being there, about being there with all those other angels … like I had missed something somewhere. The way she looked at me … it just felt _off._ "

Adam didn't say anything in response for the simple fact that he didn't trust himself not to say the wrong thing somehow. He allowed them to fall into a comfortable silence as they continued to walk and he momentarily fell into his own thoughts. Occasionally when he and Monica crossed paths, he found himself face-to-face with a reality that he wasn't particularly fond of. They didn't see each other often, but even still Adam picked up on the subtle changes that had settled within her in the last fifty or so years. She was decidedly less emotional than he'd known her to be in the past. Though not cold by any stretch, there was a hardness to her that hadn't been there before. She wasn't the curious, eager and overly loving caseworker she had once been. He thought there could be several reasons for that, one in particular more suspect than the others. Though she was none the wiser for it, Adam saw Tess quite regularly and Monica's peculiar personality change was always a hot topic of discussion.

"Hey well speaking of Tess," he said to break the silence, "she asked after you last time I was on her side of Heaven… said she'd like you to stop by when you had the chance. Which … you and I both know really means _now_." Adam's tone was casual but not altogether unserious.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Adam was certainly right about that, Monica knew. It had been so long since she'd even stepped foot Home that the idea of going there now, especially to see her long-lost friend and former supervisor, seemed like a foreign concept. She found herself wishing for a moment that Tess would just come and find her but she knew that an Angel of Angel's work kept them quite stationary, except when required in special cases. It was a stark contrast to the intrinsically mobile existence of an angel in Search and Rescue.

"I can't remember the last time I was Home either, now that I'm trying," Monica said musingly, looking away. The more time she spent on Earth these days, the more comfortable she got and the less she felt she needed to spend time at Home to feel content. The occasional recharge or meeting or evaluation aside, she simply preferred for her feet to be on the ground. Her visits were typically short, sweet and for the purpose of accomplishing one thing or another. There was a time when she reveled in spending hours, days just being there to be there. She used to look forward to taking time off and spending it with friends but not working was a rare occurrence for her anymore. And that was the way she liked it.

"Speaking of human habits, are you still guzzling coffee like it's going to run out tomorrow?" Adam asked. "Distance running, the overconsumption of caffeine, never taking a day off … you know, just because you _can_ do all these human things when you're on Earth doesn't mean you _should_ , right? Just because your human form _functions_ like a human doesn't mean -"

"Did Tess tell you to tell me that?" She interrupted, one eyebrow raised so high it may as well have been in Heaven itself.

"I'm only teasing you, Monica, you know that," he replied with a warm smile. "In all seriousness though, go pay ol' Tess a visit. She'd really like to see you and I know you'd like to see her too, whether you admit it or not. And maybe, I don't know … take a nap or something. Take care of yourself."

And with a quick wink, Adam was gone, leaving Monica alone again on the side of the mountain highway.

* * *

No sooner had Adam disappeared from the rural locale of his last assignment did he appear right in the chambers of the Angel's Angel Tess herself.

"Well?" She questioned impatiently.

"I saw her. We spoke for quite a while actually. She seems … tired, but otherwise alright."

Tess harrumphed from behind the giant oak desk where she sat. Though she had half a mind to summon Monica directly into that very room herself, she preferred for the little angel to want to come on her own. It would make the news Tess had for her easier, or so she hoped anyway. She wanted the meeting to feel more like a small gathering of old friends as opposed to strict business.

"Well, it's high time that she got her angel butt up here to see me," Tess said with her trademark sass. "Not only because it's been half a century since she's last bothered, but this business with Sophia isn't going to handle itself. I'd rather not have to track her down for this."

"So that's happening for sure, then? Sophia is transferring?"

"She put in the formal request to transfer to casework almost two weeks ago," Tess answered with a nod and a smile, "and I think she'll be just wonderful in that role. Her evaluations have gone swimmingly and she seems ready."

Adam nodded in agreement. From the few times he'd interacted with Sophia on his own cases, he ascertained that notion to be true as well.

"And I guess you have a supervisor assigned already or is that still being determined?"

Tess paused, pursing her lips pensively.

"I … _do_ have someone in mind," she started carefully, "Nathanial is up for promotional evaluation soon, quite likely in the next few assignments. When that happens, Andrew will need a replacement. I think it would be a great fit."

Adam took a few moments to process what it was that Tess was saying exactly. It had sounded sane, rational even, until he'd heard his old friend's name.

"Isn't there usually a transition period, though?" He asked confusedly, "I thought when an angel was transferring departments, they typically worked with both supervisors for a while, to make sure that -"

"You aren't wrong, baby," Tess interrupted, answering his questions simply.

Adam didn't feel helped by that answer in the least.

"And you don't see the glaring problem with that?" He questioned her, eyes wide in concern.

"This isn't my first rodeo, you know," she replied matter-of-factly, "I need to assign available supervisors to caseworkers in need. My job is to make sure I arrange a team that will work well together and that has a high probability of successful case completion."

But Adam was shaking his head, not bothering to hide that he was in wild disagreement with her.

"Tess you can't be _serious_ , you want to put them together on the same cases? On purpose? I thought we were supposed to keep them apart?!"

"That wasn't the deal, Adam, and I'm sorry that this has confused you. There's nothing within the current arrangements that prevents me from putting them together for work. Am I … a little anxious by how it could potentially play out? Of course I am. The only reason work hasn't brought them together before now is because I was always able to work around it. This time I'm not. This is the best situation. It isn't personal, it's _business_."

Adam didn't buy it and was still shaking his head. He knew that when it concerned that particular trio of angels, it was _always_ personal.

"I just didn't think we were supposed to meddle, that's all," he said with a sigh, pushing his hand through his hair in agitation.

"We aren't meddling, baby," Tess replied calmly, "purposely keeping them apart or denying Sophia her transfer or any number of things that I _could_ do to prevent them from meeting again is what would be meddling. They knew this might happen and agreed to it. She begged him to do it her way and he agreed, but only with that stipulation in place."

With that, Tess let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been keeping. Truth was, she wasn't at all sure about any of it, but it didn't change the fact that she had a problem to solve and the solution wasn't comfortable. Being an Angel of Angel's certainly wasn't sunshine and rainbows all of the time. In fact, it rarely was.

"Listen," she continued, "it's not like we're setting them up with ulterior motives or ill-intentions. Like I said, it's just business. If I had another option, I would take it, but I don't. Best case scenario is … they meet, it goes well, they guide Sophia through her transition, and then Monica goes back to Search and Rescue where she belongs and they are none the wiser."

Tess wasn't entirely sure whether she was trying to convince Adam that this was a good plan, or convince herself, or a mixture of both, but her confident tone towards him didn't waver either way.

"That's the best case, sure. But how often do best cases play out in tricky situations? And what's the _worst_ case?" Adam probed, continuing to argue even though he knew that by now it was a waste of breath, "it happens all over and we have this same conversation again fifty years from _now_? Except we're all going to feel a lot worse about it because we could have prevented it altogether and we chose to let it happen anyway?!"

Tess didn't bother trying again to argue her reasoning.

"Your points and questions are all valid, baby," she said, "I know that you care about your friends and want what's best for them and that is admirable. I am not dismissing your concerns. Believe me, from a friend and former supervisor standpoint, I share most of them. I was there for it last time, remember? I was front and center to the pain and heartbreak and the last thing I want is for either of them to experience anything remotely close again. So trust me when I tell you that I do not make this decision lightly."

Adam knew then that the conversation, at least that part of it anyway, was over. For what felt like the millionth time since he'd arrived in Tess's chambers, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Maybe it'll be fine," he said with a shrug, "Monica has been different lately, you know that. She avoids anything and everyone that doesn't have to do with her assignments. Maybe forcing her to slow down for a little while and interact with someone new will be good for her."

"Maybe she just needs to meet someone who makes her _want_ to slow down and smell the coffee beans," Tess offered optimistically, "It's not like they weren't simply good friends for decades before everything changed. Best case scenario, remember."

Adam nodded, not necessarily in agreement but neither in contention. To his astonishment, he caught a flash of auburn tresses out of the corner of his eye from the partially frosted glass window leading into the waiting room of Tess's chamber. He hadn't expected that Monica would so quickly heed his advice to pay her former supervisor a visit, but there she was, running attire and all.

"I suppose this is my cue to disappear," Adam said with a sideways nod towards the door of which Monica paced just on the other side, "I'll be around. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

With the blink of an eye, Adam was gone and Tess took just a few moments to breathe and regulate her racing heart.

 _Father, give me strength and wisdom_ , she requested silently with a glance to the ceiling before calling out clearly to the young angel behind the reception window,

"Get in here, Miss Wings!"

* * *

XOXO, A


	2. Chapter 2

_I hope those of you who are still around are enjoying this so far._

 _ **Chapter 2**_

* * *

Standing before an Angel of Angel's could be an intimidating experience for anyone, but it was especially so when the aforementioned Angel of Angel's happened to be a former supervisor and old friend. Monica fidgeted restlessly as Tess regarded her in austerity.

"Well, forcing words out of your mouth is certainly a change. Are you just going to stand there like a mute, or what?" Monica wasn't sure why she was feeling so anxious. She wasn't here to be evaluated or reprimanded after all. Even still, Tess's signature well-meant sarcasm was in stark contrast to their current surroundings.

"I'm sorry, I … being in this room makes me a little nervous is all," Monica offered meekly, acutely aware that it was a weak excuse and that Tess would see right through her words.

"Yes, it must be the _room_ and not the fact that you've not been to see me in _fifty_ years," Tess countered gruffly, but with a twinkle in her eye nonetheless. Monica smiled shyly in response, her cheeks flushing red at her former supervisor's words. She knew she needn't have worried. It may well have been an Angel's Angel across the oak desk before her, but more importantly, it was Tess and Monica's anxiety eased gradually as the seconds ticked by. With a chuckle and shake of her head, Tess rose from the great chair in which she sat and came around the desk, enveloping the little redheaded angel in a warm embrace.

"You certainly are a sight for sore eyes, angel girl," she said lovingly, arms wrapped tightly around her petite frame. After several long moments, Tess drew back and looked Monica up and down a few times, " _What_ are you wearing? You look more like an Olympic athlete than an angel."

Monica had almost forgotten that she was still dressed in the clothes she was comfortable running in - compression tights, a sweatshirt and sneakers certainly wasn't the usual attire of an angel, particularly not one at Home.

"Changing seemed silly, I didn't think I'd be here all that long …" she said, trailing off at the look on Tess's face. "Not that I'm not … _thrilled_ to see you Tess, I just have a lot going on and don't usually stay in one place for too-"

Tess's harrumph interrupted the little angel before she could finish her sentence.

"And just _what_ is so important that you're planning on running out of here and back to, hmm?" She questioned, lips pursed with attitude. Monica didn't have a good answer and simply shrugged. Truthfully, she just wanted to be back on Earth as soon as possible. Being Home was nice, of course, but she'd much prefer to be working.

"Well, you're going to have to trade in your trainers for jeans and a pair of sturdy boots, Miss Wings. There's something we need to discuss," Tess said. She moved back around to sit behind her vast desk and indicated for Monica to take a seat in the chair across from her. Monica felt the prickle of apprehension creep back slowly as she thought of her chance meeting with Adam and the conversation they'd had. Perhaps it hadn't been a chance meeting at all.

"Tess, what's going on?" She asked pointedly, lowering herself slowly into the cool, leather armchair. Tess had busied herself with pulling various files and folders out of hidden cabinet drawers, flipping through pages, eyes darting back and forth across blocks of text.

"Baby, we've got some talking to do," Tess replied finally, pulling a single sheet of paper out from one of the many folders spread over the desk, "Sophia has requested a transfer from Search and Rescue to Casework."

Monica stared blankly back at Tess for a moment, blinking slowly, processing the news and trying to catalogue the emotions that surfaced along with it.

"I … didn't even know she was thinking about that, she didn't tell me," Monica said in surprise after several beats of silence, brows furrowed in confusion, "She's so good in Search and Rescue …"

"So were you, when you transferred yourself all those years ago," Tess reminded her gently, "your talent translated very well into Casework and the same will be true for Sophia."

Monica sighed heavily and wondered with a bit of guilt if perhaps Sophia wanting to leave Search and Rescue had anything to do with her. She and Sophia were close, and though they hadn't worked together in the last few weeks, Monica hadn't worried that something might not have been right until then.

"And before you get all itchy and start assigning guilt to yourself for problems that don't exist, she made it clear that her decision to move departments has nothing to do with you and that she'll miss you as her supervisor very much," Tess said, answering the unspoken questions that Monica had. Even still, the news stung.

"I wish she'd told me herself," Monica mused sadly, heaving another sigh, "I would have liked to be included in the conversation, at least."

"Well, I'm including you now. Apparently you're a little tough to catch these days, Miss Wings," Tess said, raising her brows in Monica's direction, "Sophia said she would have talked to you first but that she hasn't seen you in _weeks_."

Again, Monica found herself flushing at Tess's words. Sophia too was quite independent, and though they worked well together and enjoyed the other's company, they quite frequently went days and sometimes weeks at a time without reconnecting. In Monica's opinion, she was hardly in need of a supervisor at all, which made her own job easier and alone time more frequently had. Admittedly, it was the perfect arrangement and she found herself mourning the loss already, if for no other reason than that Sophia moving on likely meant that she would be assigned a new angel to train and mentor.

"Okay, so what happens now? She's the first of mine to transfer," Monica asked Tess, swallowing hard against the unexpected lump of emotion in her throat.

"As I'm sure you well remember, the training for new caseworkers is quite a bit more involved than other specialties," Tess began, "The direct and long-term interaction with human beings is unique to the position and so takes more time to acclimate. She'll need lots of coaching and support along the way. Thankfully … she'll have you _right_ by her side as she learns."

Monica was sure that she'd heard Tess incorrectly there at the end, but she didn't have time to question as Tess continued on ahead without giving her time to get a word in.

"You'll work a case with her, possibly several if needed, and help to facilitate a smooth transition from you to her next supervisor, who you'll need to coordinate with on the case to make sure things go well."

At the phrase "work a case," Monica visibly bristled and was already shaking her head before Tess had even finished. She didn't remember it happening this way for her all those years ago. She felt slightly guilty to admit that she was dreading working side-by-side with Sophia's new supervisor, whoever it was. Working with other angels, even _meeting_ them, wasn't really something Monica did purposely anymore - hence her comfort in Search and Rescue.

"Tess, that isn't … I mean … I really don't think she'll need me to-"

"It isn't your choice, missy," Tess replied, cutting her off, "we have found over the last several decades that both old and new supervisors working _together_ to make for an easy transfer has worked better and increased the overall rate of success. And lucky for Sophia, you were one of the best caseworkers in existence. The knowledge you can share with her from your many years of experience will be very valuable for her development."

Monica lowered her eyes then, accepting the fact that she wasn't likely going to win this argument. Being told that she would be returning to casework certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting from this little reunion. It wasn't what she wanted, at all. She had put casework and her many years in the department behind her for good when she'd made her own transfer. Monica could feel herself getting upset and blinked rapidly against the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. A wave of uncertainty flooded her at the thought of returning to that sort of work.

"Tess, what if … what if I'm no good at it anymore?" she questioned timidly after several moments of silence, twisting her fingers together in distress, "I made so many mistakes before, surely Sophia needs someone _better_ -"

Tess held up a hand to silence her, but the look on her face alone would have been enough to stop Monica mid-sentence. The lapse in self-confidence that her former charge exhibited now was a surprise to her, given how well she'd performed in the past.

"Angel girl, I'm surprised to hear this out of you. Why on earth would you think you wouldn't be good at it? You were one of the best, and you were told as much many times," Tess lamented, struck by how small and positively rattled the younger angel suddenly appeared to her. Adam had said that she had changed, but Tess hadn't quite been prepared for just how significant that change would be. Having near-zero confidence in her ability to perform well in casework was far out of left-field and the last thing Tess had expected.

"You always used to say that I got too involved, that I was too emotional …" Monica said with a shrug, still refusing to meet her former supervisor's eyes, "and … you were right, I let my heart get the better of me when I should have used my head and because of that, I made a lot of mistakes that could have been-"

For what felt like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, Tess interrupted Monica's self-deprecating comments swiftly.

"You stop that right now, baby," Tess said, utterly astonished that Monica dared to believe something so wildly incorrect about herself, "your giant heart is what makes you who you _are_ and I won't hear another word of this nonsense. Your ability to empathize with humans, to counsel and to love so freely, _that_ _is_ what made you excel in casework. I may have been hard on you a time or two, but you have to know that I only wanted what was best for you. I wanted to protect you. I'm sorry if you ever felt that I was disappointed in you for _that_."

Monica kept her eyes on the floor, swallowing the uncomfortable lump that had formed in her throat as Tess spoke.

"Is that really all true, Tess?" Monica questioned, soft voice laced with skepticism, "my heart's the best part of me, so big and full of love?"

"Of _course_ it's true, baby," the older angel chided, shaking her head in disbelief. Still not looking up, the little angel smiled at the words, but it didn't quite reach her tear-filled brown eyes.

"Then … _why_ do I feel so empty inside?"

The older angel felt her heart clench painfully at the break in Monica's voice and considered what she would say next carefully. There was a subtle hollowness to her that Tess hadn't picked up on until just then.

"I … can't answer that question, angel girl," Tess said delicately, internally admonishing herself for the not-quite-true statement, though it was necessary given the circumstances. In truth, Tess was certain she knew why but didn't dare say anything else about it, for her own sake as well as Monica's.

Monica cleared her throat and drew a long breath of air, hating herself for letting her emotions get the better of her in this room, even if it was only Tess across from her. When she finally raised her eyes to meet those of the Angel's Angel, she made sure that all trace of that emotional moment was erased from her features, as if it had never happened.

"So, the case?" She asked briskly, forcing her voice to sound steady, "I'm assuming you know where and when? You mentioned something about jeans and boots earlier, what's that about?"

If Tess was surprised at all by Monica's almost instant change in demeanor and quick change of subject, she didn't let it show. Her temporary display of vulnerability had told Tess all she needed to know of the current condition of the younger angel's heart. She made a mental note of just how quickly the wall between them had gone up again.

" _Yes_ , jeans and boots," Tess replied with a nod, "and probably a heavy coat too. You're heading up to the mountains, angel girl. I assume you still have a certain affection for animals of the equine variety?"

Monica only shrugged and waited for Tess to continue with the rest of the information she needed.

"Well, I hope the answer is yes because I think the only thing that outnumbers the problems on this ranch are the horses that live there," Tess said, easily falling back into supervisor mode, the tender moment between the two all but forgotten.

"And how long will I be there?" Monica asked, continuing blankly down a basic list of questions, without any sign of emotion in the direction of excitement or otherwise.

"I don't think you need me to tell you that it's all going to depend on you and the others, Miss Wings," Tess said with a tight laugh, "you'll be there until your job is done and you're no longer needed. And please don't forget that your job this time is to _teach_."

Try as she might, Monica couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, it was too much to wish for that the case would be short and sweet. She had a peculiar feeling settling in her gut that it would, in fact, be everything _but_ short and sweet. She desperately wished that she could fast-forward through it and get back to Search and Rescue where she was comfortable. She had loved casework, once. Now it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I think I've got it. Ranch. Horses. _Teaching_. Anything else?" Monica asked, suddenly antsier than she originally was to get out of there and be on her way. The sooner this whole thing was over, the better. Before she had even finished her sentence, she had risen from her chair and started moving towards the door. She hadn't quite gotten there, however, when she remembered one last question pulling at the back of her mind.

"Who is it?" She questioned curiously, "Sophia's new supervisor … anyone I know?"

Tess prayed that the look on her face didn't give away how very unsure she suddenly felt about the entire arrangement in that moment. She took a deep breath and hoped that her voice wouldn't give her away either.

"His name is Andrew," she responded lightly, glancing down at the stack of paper still in her hand, purposefully not wanting to witness any reaction from her former charge, for fear of reacting herself.

The name echoed against the marble walls of the chamber and for a moment, Monica stood completely still, entirely focused on the peculiar way her heart had seemed to skip right out of her chest when Tess had said the new supervisor's name. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore both that and the odd chill that was traveling swiftly up her spine.

"I don't … think we've met," Monica managed to utter amidst the strange onset of feelings she couldn't place. She shook her head and tried to force it from her mind as quickly as it had entered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the golden pocket watch she'd carried for as long as she could remember. She fixed her eyes on the second hand, counting the even ticks and steadying her breaths in time with the movements.

"Baby … you okay?"

Tess's voice cut through the silence and pulled Monica out of her momentary daze.

"I'm … y-yeah … Tess, I better go, I'll see you later okay, I'll … I'll visit soon," she said in a rush, turning around again and making her way out of the room.

Tess didn't bother calling after her. As the little angel departed without a look back, the Angel's Angel lifted her eyes to the ceiling again in prayer, hoping with every fiber of her being that Adam was wrong to be so concerned and that she was doing the right thing.

* * *

XOXO, A

 _I would just like to take this time to say how much I hate dialogue-heavy chapters for the aesthetically displeasing way they format on this website. Am I alone in this? Anyone? Just me?_ o_O


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